Rumor: Subsidized Apple iTablet Coming to Verizon this Year?

An initial version of the long-anticipated Apple tablet will be subsidized by Verizon (VZ Quote), but Apple and Verizon "won't be as tightly integrated" as Apple's iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T (T Quote), says one source familiar with the companies, who asked not to be named.

Dear Apple: How About that Premium App Store?

Just prior to iPhone 3.0 there were rumors that Apple would introduce a Premium App Store which would let high quality apps in the $10 or $20+ range enjoy some breathing room away from the "race to the bottom" pressure of the current cheapy novelty app crowd. Why is this still a good idea? Well, AppCubby has run the numbers and it looks like $5 (down from $10) is the new ceiling for App Store apps:

As has been widely covered on the net, Foxconn worker Sun Danyong of Shenzhen, responsible for 16 fourth-generation iPhone prototypes, committed suicide on July 16, after reporting one of the prototypes missing three days earlier.

iPhone Pro Tips: Find Text in Safari with Javascript Bookmarklet

If you're browsing the web on a PC, you can just hit CTRL-F or CMD-F and quickly find any text on a webpage. It's great for finding things fast, especially on long reams of text, and Safari does a nice job of it -- just not Mobile Safari on the iPhone, not yet.

No word yet on whether you get a pocket Hasselhoff to push it for you, but it sounds like Opera Mobile 9.7 is set to bring back the "Turbo" boost in an effort to take it to Mobile Safari (and, we presume, WebKit in general as found on the iPhone, Google Chrome lite for Android, Palm Pre, some Nokia devices, etc. etc.... etc...)

Ganging up on the "real internet" browser are our good friends Matt Miller from NokiaExperts.com and Phil Nickinson from WMExperts.com. Matt explains the concept behind Nokia's blast from the past via his ZDNet blog:

Turbo mode that supplements the native Opera Mobile browser with the proxy functionality found in Opera Mini. So, with Opera Mobile 9.7 and Turbo mode enabled you get a fully functioning web browser with proxy/server side lifting going on to provide the FASTEST browsing experience currently available on a mobile phone.

TiPb vaguely remembers proxy and cache tricks from those old spamvertisements promising to quadruple our old dial-up modem speeds. Phil tries to pip us to the proxy post, however:

Now in Stock: Wilson Electronics iBooster for iPhone

Now in Stock: Wilson Electronics iBooster for iPhone

The Wilson plug-and-play iBooster kit helps users reduce dropped calls, increase data rates in weak signal areas and originate calls from those dreaded “dead spots”. The iBooster and its external vehicular antenna increases any iPhone’s output power to the cell site while improving its ability to hear signals it normally cannot, keeping the user more reliably connected.

iPhone and iPod touch: Now with 45 Million Unit Install Base

As part of the just-completed Q3 2009 conference call, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook revealed that the iPhone OS, the software behind both the iPhone and iPod touch, now enjoys an install base of over 45 million.

Combined with previous announcements of 65,000 apps, 100,000 registered developers, and 1.5 billion downloads, and it looks like Apple has quite the mobile platform on their hands. Scratch that, they have quite the platform in consumer hands.

Apple announced their Q3, 2009 financial results today.
- Press release is live: The Company posted revenue of $8.34 billion, with 5.2 Million iPhone sales in the quarter. Boom.

“We’re making our most innovative products ever and our customers are responding,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to have sold over 5.2 million iPhones during the quarter and users have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications from our App Store in its first year.”

Apple also hosted an accompanying conference call, highlights after the break!

Quick App: Spash ID for iPhone - Save that Important Data Securely

Splash ID [$4.99 - iTunes link] is an app for the iPhone and iPod touch that provides a great place to store your data securely with a password. Just how secure is it? Super secure. 256bit Blowfish secure.

I have used Splash ID for years on the Palm OS. I was so excited to see that SplashData brought Splash ID to the iPhone last year as I was easily able to port my old files over to the iPhone using their desktop companion app.

So what does Splash ID do for you? A lot, let's take a look. First, you can choose what type of password you would like to use; a simple 4 digit pin or a longer password; it's your choice. Of course, there is nothing more irritating as you go back and forth between Splash ID and another app for you to keep entering your password into Splash ID. There is a feature that allows you to suspend the locking feature for a period from 1 minute to 30 minutes.

You can organize your data in Splash ID into several categories from software serial numbers to airline frequent flyer miles to your families social security numbers for quick reference. When you are dealing with sensitive data, you can also choose to mask certain fields to hide the data from the roaming eyes of casual observers.

Not only do you have the ability to customize your categories, but you can choose a theme and view for your data as well. You can pick row colors and choose between a list or panel view. I am personally partial to the panel view as it groups your items by category type instead of a list. Depending on the volume of entries you have, the list get get a little unyieldy. In an effort to help manage those that store a lot of information in Splash ID, there is a very convenient "Most Viewed" button to access the info you view most frequently. If you have a hard time viewing the information in portrait mode, you can rotate to landscape too!

If you need to share any information, you can quick do so my using the email feature. With the tap of a button on screen, you can send information via email. One way I use this feature is to email my SSID information and password to friends that are visiting my house so they can get on the network (no I don't have the new Airport Extreme with guest access :-(). You can also send the information as a secure file to another Splash ID account!

I could really go on and on about Splash ID since I have been using it for years. The added value of the companion desktop app ($19.99) is of additional benefit as your data is always safe, backed-up and accessible from your Mac/PC and your iPhone.

If you need something more than a simple password manager and need a tool to manage all of your sensitive information, look no further than Splash ID for iPhone! Tons of screenshots after the break!

AIM Push Problems - Hacktivated iPhones to Blame?

Crunchgear is reporting that Till Schadde of Equinux has been noticing some weirdness with his AIM app and push notifications. Namely, Schadde has been seeing his AIM messages go to random recipients. He discovered this by being notified that a message he had sent to his iPhone version of AIM was redirected to a random stranger. That stranger then contacted Schaddle to let him know and to supply him with a screen shot of his message.